Bathing suit



T. LA MAIDA July 18, 1933.

BATHING SUIT Original Filed Oct. 51

INVENTOR. 7&0 mas Za/Va/aa' ATTORNEYJ;

Patented July 1%, 1933 onrrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 THOMAS LA MAIDA, 0F CLEVELANT), OHIO Original application filed October 31, 1932, Serial No. 640,522. new and this application filed January 16, 1933;

the invention to provide a construction which is light an d comfortable while providing full coverage, and which makes important savings and advantages in manufacturing.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims,'the following'description andthe anneXed drawing setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative however, of but a few of the var ous ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawing Fig. lie a front elevational view of an emb diinentof the invention; Figs, 2 and 3 are elevational viewsof blanks employed in a sembly indicated in Figs. '5 and 6, respectively; Fig. l-is a perspective view of the blank of Fig. 3 in a further stage of assembly; Fig. 5 is a perspective view, parts being broken away, showinganother stage of assembly; and Fig. 6 is a like view of a modification.

In its general appearance, a bathing suit in accordance with the present invention has the aspects of a garment extending from the shoulders down over the thighs in continuous shirt-like or blouse-like form, extending below the bifurcation of the body, and providing concealed trunks or rather trunkike extremities. A shoulder-thigh or shirt-like garment foundation is, first prepared, and this may be made up of any usual or preferred fabric, woven or knitted, more usually knitted, and seamed as most convenient, the whole providing shoulder pieces 2 and body portion proper 3.

As shown in Fig. 2, a convenient shaping of the blanks to enter into the garment may involve a blank A of general form to provide the shoulder pieces 8, and lower wing-portions in, w. The coacting blank K is also provided, such that the edge portion ab Serial No. 651,941. a

.may be seamed to the corresponding edge ing shoulder straps above and trunk portions below, the seamlines being shown in detail in Fig. By also assembling a front and back cover segment M, a garment as illustrated complete in Fig. 1 results, in which the trunk portions are formed of coacting blanks, n which blank-edges directed rearwardly and blank-edges directed forwardly are joinedtogether at apoint between the legs to form downwardly-extending seams medially for each leg in the inter-leg trunk walls and concealed within a shirt-like or blousedike exterior appearance.

In a slightly different procedure, a shirtlike foundation garment may be made up, and within the lower portion of such foundation garment I then apply, securing by sewing or other desired means, inserts F and R (Fig. 6) at the front and rear. As shown in Fig. 3, such inserts may be formed from a blank B which has a continuous lower edge 4, and a notch n in its upper edge. This blank is fastened together along its edges 5, 6, thus forming the seam 56 in Fig. 4, and it is also out along the dotted line 7 (Fi 3) to provide the free edges 8, 9, Fig. 4c. The further steps of assembly involve the seaming together of the corresponding edges 8,

and the corresponding edges 9, respectively,

of the front and rear blank portions, also the securing of the outer edges 10, 11, to the corresponding wall of the shirtdike foundation;

The final seams 88, 99,10, 11, 10", 11, assemble the form of the garment. In the forms shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 6, the insert front and rear blanks F, R, are seamed directly to the front andrrear walls respectively of the shirt-like foundation garment, and these seams extend downwardly to present a convex edge, which terminates at a point on the lower edge of the skirt which is well forward of the leg of the wearer. It may-be said that the two points of termination lie along a line which is substantially tangent to both legs of the wearer, thus presenting a smooth front surface uniformly tensioned over the body of the wearer. The inserts being invisible externally, have their coacting rearwardly-directed edges and forwardly directed edges joined together at a point between the legs to form downwardly-- extending seams medially'for each leg, completmg inter-leg portions or close-fitting trunks with the coacting outside shirt-like Wall, the complete garment being shown also in Fig. l.- The garment'is particularly accurately held down in place when worn, by

the crotch-engaging saddle insert which is fastener to thefront and rear. walls ofthe shirt-like garment, and which constitutes the inner arcs of the leg-like portions whose outer arcs are the lateral walls of thegarment. I

In the final assemblyof the pieces the re spective shapes involved make possible an easy positioning for machine-seeming opera- ,tlOIl. The entire garment presents the ap pearance of aconstruction wholly unitary in character, although attalned very advantageously by reason of its elements of assembly. o

It is thus seen that the invention provides a garment of comfortable and advantageous form, aesthetic in appearance, and hlghly vided the features stated in any of the following claims, or the equivalent of such, be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention 1. A knitted bathing suit having a closed form-fitting crotch insert comprising a saddlehaving an upwardly facing concave edge extending from the front to the rear of said suit, and outwardly facing convex edges, said convex edges being'seamed to said suit to form curved seam lines across the bias of the knitted goods, said seam lines flaring downwardly and outwardly and terminating at a point along a line substantially tangent to both legs of the wearer, and said saddle having downwardly extending medial seams in the inner leg walls for reinforcing the same against rolling up.

2. A bathing suit, embodying a shirt like garment, and means for holding the lower portion thereof down, said means comprising a closed form fitting crotch engaging insert saddle joined to the front and rear walls of'the garment and completing the inner arcs of leg-fitting portions whose outer arcs arefformed by the lateral walls of the aforesaid shoulder thigh garment, said sad- 'dle being seamed to said front and rear walls along downwardly facing convex edges, and the uppermost portion of said saddle extending from the front to the rear of said garment in a line of concave curvature, the seams between said saddle and walls flaring clownwardly and outwardly and terminating at a pointalong a line substantially tangent to both legs of the wearer, said shirt like garment extending across the front and rear of said saddle to conceal the same.

THOMAS LA MAIDA. 

